Kilns can be used to harden, burn, and/or dry a number of different materials. In one common application, for example, kilns are used in the production of ceramics. This process, generally referred to as “firing,” can include chemically refining clay objects by heating them until a crystalline matrix of silica and alumina forms, thus making the resulting ceramic articles hard and durable. Depending on the size, complexity, and desired finish of the ceramic articles, this process can take a significant amount of time.
To fire a ceramic workpiece in a kiln, the temperature of an internal processing chamber is raised to a relatively high temperature (e.g., over 1800° F.), maintained at that temperature for a given period of time to adequately heat the clay object until the clay develops the desired properties, and then cooled relatively quickly so that the ceramic workpiece can be retrieved from the processing chamber and the kiln can be used to process another workpiece. Because of the high temperatures involved, conventional kilns typically include relatively thick insulating sidewalls and extensive cooling systems. As a result, these kilns are large and cumbersome, relatively expensive, and generally unsuitable for home or personal use. Moreover, the exterior surfaces of such kilns can still become relatively hot during operation, thus making the kilns undesirable for in-home or personal use.